•The defense ranks fourth among FBS schools in tackles for a loss after one week.

•Last year the rushing defense ranked 118th. As of now, it's 72nd.

•The Aztecs improved in 12 of 13 defensive categories compared to last season's final rankings.

Now the bad — aside from the fact UCLA won 33-14.

“I think if this were the second year of this system, there would have been six or seven sacks,” said defensive coordinator Rocky Long. “But that doesn't help us right now.”

Long's complex 3-3-5 scheme may have helped the team improve in the rankings (after one game, of course), but fundamental errors and missed assignments led to UCLA's win, he said.

“We lined up wrong on the (29-yard TD run by Derrick Coleman),” Long explained. “If one guy lines up right, that's a 1-yard gain instead of a touchdown.”

Long said his players are nowhere near where they need to be in understanding the scheme, and there isn't a player on the defense that fully comprehends it.

“Right now we can't do some things on defense that we'd like to,” he said. “Our players understand what their assignment is. What they don't understand is how their assignment fits with everyone else's assignment. We can't use the full scope of this defense until everybody realizes how they fit within the scheme. This might take a year or two.”

Jumping ship

Kingsburg High quarterback
Tyler Bray
has de-committed from SDSU and given a verbal commitment to Tennessee. Bray took an official trip to Knoxville last week and left gushing.

“They say football is a religion in the South and that's definitely true,” Bray told
ESPN.com
. “The fan support and how passionate everyone is just blew me away. I love the coaching staff and the energy everyone has there.”

Hoke can't comment specifically on recruits per NCAA rules. However, speaking in very general terms, he said he's lost recruits before and it's frustrating.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about San Diego State but Tennessee just felt like the right fit for me,” said Bray.

Injury update

Defensive back
Davion Mauldin
missed practice yesterday to have fluid drained from his knee, but Hoke said he'll play Saturday. Hoke said cornerback
Romeo Horn
(foot) could get the boot off his foot by the end of the week and running back
Atiyyah Henderson
(back) will get X-rays Monday to monitor his progress. Both are out for Saturday.